On the issue of: "violating the 2nd law of thermodyamics"
Here's his response, which is discussed in more detail in his Physical
Review Letters E entry in 1993 (http://www.calphysics.org/articles/CP93.pdf):
Not so. The thermodynamic issues are discussed in detail in D. C. Cole and H. E. Puthoff, "Extracting energy and heat from the vacuum," Phys. Rev. E, vol. 48, p. 1562 (1993).
To give a simple example, the well-known and experimentally well-researched Casimir Effect exemplifies the issue. Two conductive plates are pushed together by the ZPE, converting vacuum energy erg by erg into kinetic energy of motion as modes are squeezed out, at which point the plates collide and produce heat. Energy and thermodynamic conditions satisfied all the way. Same for an object falling in a gravitational field.
Here's a response from one of those scientists to your comment:
Actually, I agree that the use of the word "propellantless propulsion" is not so good, for the conservation of momentum reasons he cites. (See attached, especially Section 2.) However, the possibility of more or less accomplishing what is meant when that term is used cannot be ruled out. So, it depends on just how specific you want to be about the nomenclature.
[trelayne] You can see the "attached" document here:
This is already known in theoretical quantum physics.
In fact NASA has funded research into it with the long
range goals of achieving propellant-less propulsion.
The Casimir Effect is also an experiment that is touted
as ultra-precise proof of the phenomenon.
And there are a number of tantalizing theories that are
built on its existence and have been published in the usual
top ranking physics journals. Some suggesting that vacuum
energy is responsible for the very structure (and hence stability)
of the physical universe.
For example: http://www.calphysics.org/ explores the possibility
that vacuum energy fluctuations account for mass (even particle
mass!), inertial forces and [through an elegant corrolary] gravity.
This opens up possibilities that go well beyond star trek.
I completely agree that conservation and education is the way to go. However, I do think that simplicity also means more technology. However, that technology has to be developed and operated in a sustainable way. And the only way we can achieve that is to abolish patents and copyrights so that physical innovation can happen in a cooperative and swift way in much the same way that open source has developed.
Like it or not, our current system of resource allocation favours the companies and organizations who would create more waste by building products that are defective by design, instead of moral inventors and geniuses who would freely give to humanity (and its future) instead of having to fend for food.
Well, better we have people with the courage and intellect of Superman than cowardly sheep who know how to stand and be shaved off better than standing up for themselves. Yes, let's wait for someone to hand over freedom on a platter while we criticize them for trying.
Yes, you are right, we do have a lot of teens with cells phones yapping away.
We also have too many male yappers, business men, etc. So a big thumbs up to
Rogers and gang for that. But a big thumbs down for not letting the other part
of the population in on the plan;-)
You're absolutely right. Being a geek doesn't mean one is not an idiot. Most posters to this thread are a perfect example of this. They think (unless their cellphones fried their brains:-) ) that nothing invisible can hurt them. Must be the cromagnon genes kicking in again.
Also, they are the same people who flock to the hotspots and will gladly buy 3G devices, and wear them near their testicles. So as you can see.. it's all a grand, yet inconspicuous Darwin Award waiting to happen.
I agree with his move. Why? Because he's being smart----unlike the Neanderthals who think that something they can't see can't hurt them (cell phones included).
I am heavily pro tech, worked in telecom and some wireless projects. In fact I don't think we're developing technologies as fast as we should be able to.
However, there is such thing as irresponsible technology. I suspect that we are still in the early days of a cool technological concept: highspeed wireless data communications. But these "early days" are akin to the early days of effective pesticides (when the now-outlawed DDT was used).
I strongly suspect that one day, we will be able to come up with a safe and fast wireless comms using completely different means..that'll probably involve using Quantum phenomena. But until that time, we're running after candy being hung over our heads by telecom companies who only really care about making money off of us.
The DUF (http://www.digitaluniverse.net/ promises to be a revolutionary "PBS of the web", with ad-free, multimedia-rich content. Do you expect the Digital Universe Foundation to [eventually] surpass Wikipedia in its content and presentation?
Do you foresee perhaps a partnership with DUF if this were to happen?
Actually, last I heard, the founder of Wikipedia is closely involved in this project. So let's not waste bandwidth on why Wikipedia is better.
Also, the people behind this Foundation have been working on other, possibly revolutionary (in a REALLY BIG way) physics research. Check it out: http://www.calphysics.org/ .
NASA sponsored a study that explored the basis of similar possibilities.
The work was done at Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center. It's made the rounds in the prestigious (astro)physics journals and pop sci. mags.
You can get more info at http://www.calphysics.org./
The hypothesis doesn't go as far as making detailed suggestions on how "vacuum pressure" would be used to power a space craft. But they argue that artificial manipulation of gravity/inertia may be possible. The brilliant work done so far makes a case that the origin of inertia/gravity may be found in otherwise random vacuum (quantum) fluctuations that cohere in front of accelerating objects. EM theory goes on to show that this "wall" of fluctuations interacts with charged particles in the matter of an object creating a net force opposite but proportional to the acceleration.
Finally, but most importantly, they released a paper this year showing that gravity may be explanable as the exact same phenomenon---due to the spacetime curvature caused by planetary objects, fixed objects on a planet experience quantum fluctuations accelerating passed them. This creates an ambient downward force (AKA gravity).
The trick they argue, would be to control vacuum coherence (similar to the "vacuum pressure"). Suggestions by others have been made that this could be done using supercond. disks. NASA was preparing an experiment with a large superconducting disk to see if it had an effect on gravity...based on the work of Podkletnov. But funding was cut months before it was to be executed.
Slashdot Mirror
On the issue of: "violating the 2nd law of thermodyamics"
Here's his response, which is discussed in more detail in his Physical Review Letters E entry in 1993 (http://www.calphysics.org/articles/CP93.pdf):
Not so. The thermodynamic issues are discussed in detail in D. C. Cole and H. E. Puthoff, "Extracting energy and heat from the vacuum," Phys. Rev. E, vol. 48, p. 1562 (1993). To give a simple example, the well-known and experimentally well-researched Casimir Effect exemplifies the issue. Two conductive plates are pushed together by the ZPE, converting vacuum energy erg by erg into kinetic energy of motion as modes are squeezed out, at which point the plates collide and produce heat. Energy and thermodynamic conditions satisfied all the way. Same for an object falling in a gravitational field.
Here's a response from one of those scientists to your comment:
- 144.pdf
Actually, I agree that the use of the word "propellantless propulsion" is not so good, for the conservation of momentum reasons he cites. (See attached, especially Section 2.) However, the possibility of more or less accomplishing what is meant when that term is used cannot be ruled out. So, it depends on just how specific you want to be about the nomenclature.
[trelayne]
You can see the "attached" document here:
http://www.earthtech.org/publications/JBIS_55_137
This is already known in theoretical quantum physics. In fact NASA has funded research into it with the long range goals of achieving propellant-less propulsion.
The Casimir Effect is also an experiment that is touted as ultra-precise proof of the phenomenon.
And there are a number of tantalizing theories that are built on its existence and have been published in the usual top ranking physics journals. Some suggesting that vacuum energy is responsible for the very structure (and hence stability) of the physical universe.
For example: http://www.calphysics.org/ explores the possibility that vacuum energy fluctuations account for mass (even particle mass!), inertial forces and [through an elegant corrolary] gravity. This opens up possibilities that go well beyond star trek.
I completely agree that conservation and education is the way
to go. However, I do think that simplicity also means more
technology. However, that technology has to be developed and
operated in a sustainable way. And the only way we can
achieve that is to abolish patents and copyrights so that
physical innovation can happen in a cooperative and swift way
in much the same way that open source has developed.
Like it or not, our current system of resource allocation
favours the companies and organizations who would create
more waste by building products that are defective by design,
instead of moral inventors and geniuses who would freely give
to humanity (and its future) instead of having to fend for
food.
Well, better we have people with the courage and intellect of Superman than cowardly sheep who know how to stand and be shaved off better than standing up for themselves. Yes, let's wait for someone to hand over freedom on a platter while we criticize them for trying.
Yes, you are right, we do have a lot of teens with cells phones yapping away. We also have too many male yappers, business men, etc. So a big thumbs up to Rogers and gang for that. But a big thumbs down for not letting the other part of the population in on the plan ;-)
You're absolutely right. Being a geek doesn't mean one is not an idiot. :-) ) that nothing invisible can hurt them. Must be the cromagnon genes kicking in again.
Most posters to this thread are a perfect example of this. They think (unless their cellphones fried their brains
Also, they are the same people who flock to the hotspots and will gladly buy 3G devices, and wear them near their testicles. So as you can see.. it's all a grand, yet inconspicuous Darwin Award waiting to happen.
Ok, hopefully that got your attention.
I agree with his move. Why? Because he's being smart----unlike the Neanderthals who think that something they can't see can't hurt them (cell phones included).
I am heavily pro tech, worked in telecom and some wireless projects. In fact I don't think we're developing technologies as fast as we should be able to.
However, there is such thing as irresponsible technology. I suspect that we are still in the early days of a cool technological concept: highspeed wireless data communications.
But these "early days" are akin to the early days of effective
pesticides (when the now-outlawed DDT was used).
I strongly suspect that one day, we will be able to come up with a safe and fast wireless comms using completely different means..that'll probably involve using Quantum phenomena. But until that time, we're running after candy being hung over our heads by telecom companies who only really care about making money off of us.
The DUF (http://www.digitaluniverse.net/ promises to be a revolutionary "PBS of the web", with ad-free, multimedia-rich content. Do you expect the Digital Universe Foundation to [eventually] surpass Wikipedia in its content and presentation?
Do you foresee perhaps a partnership with DUF if this were to happen?
Actually, last I heard, the founder of Wikipedia is closely involved in this project. So let's not waste bandwidth on why Wikipedia is better.
Also, the people behind this Foundation have been working on other, possibly revolutionary (in a REALLY BIG way) physics research. Check it out: http://www.calphysics.org/ .
Finally, but most importantly, they released a paper this year showing that gravity may be explanable as the exact same phenomenon---due to the spacetime curvature caused by planetary objects, fixed objects on a planet experience quantum fluctuations accelerating passed them. This creates an ambient downward force (AKA gravity).
The trick they argue, would be to control vacuum coherence (similar to the "vacuum pressure"). Suggestions by others have been made that this could be done using supercond. disks. NASA was preparing an experiment with a large superconducting disk to see if it had an effect on gravity...based on the work of Podkletnov. But funding was cut months before it was to be executed.